January 4, 2026 | 08:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Messages began pouring—almost without pause—into Rizki Nauli Siregar's phone on Wednesday night, September 3, 2025. The researcher at the Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM) and lecturer at the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Economics and Business soon realized he had been added to a group chat called the Indonesian Economists Alliance.
The names in the group were familiar. Many were longtime colleagues—researchers, lecturers and economists who regularly crossed paths at seminars, on campus or in meetings. The next morning, Rizki received a call from senior economist Lili Yan Ing of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN. "Can you help manage this alliance?" Rizki recalled Lili asking, in an interview with Tempo on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
After agreeing, Rizki began recruiting fellow economists into the group. It started with a dozen or so people. Slowly, it grew into the hundreds-from senior economists to fresh graduates. Their initial mission was singular: to draft a set of demands that addressed the distressed economy. The conversation surged, as if long-suppressed anxiety had finally found a shared outlet.
For years, Rizki said, economists had debated deep structural problems in Indonesia's economy. The protests and riots on August 29, 2025, then pushed economists—who had largely stayed within campuses and research spaces—to speak out.
Iran Protests: Trump and Tehran Officials Exchange Threats
2 hari lalu
President Donald Trump said the US is "locked and loaded," but analysts told DW that more violence wouldn't help protesters.
Trump Says U.S. Will Intervene if Iran Kills Peaceful Protesters
2 hari lalu
Trump warned the United States could intervene if Iran uses lethal force against protesters, saying Washington is "locked and loaded and ready to go."
Thousands of Workers to Protest in Jakarta for Higher Wages
2 hari lalu
The upcoming workers' protest follows the Jakarta government's failure to meet labor demands for a higher minimum wage.
Iran Starts 2026 Facing Protests, Inflation and Sanctions
2 hari lalu
By late 2025, inflation sparked shop closures across Iran. Now in 2026, the government faces sanctions, economic crisis, and environmental threats.
Several People Killed as Protests Spread Across Iran
2 hari lalu
As Iran slips deeper into economic crisis, the unrest, which began Sunday in Tehran, has spread to other cities.
Israel's Mossad Backs Iranian Protesters in Rare Public Statement
3 hari lalu
The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has expressed its support for demonstrators aiming to overthrow the Iranian government.
Is Iran on the Brink? Key Information About the Protests
4 hari lalu
Iran has been gripped by demonstrations amid the country's economic crisis, with social discontent fueling open protest against the regime.
Resistance Networks in Yogyakarta
4 hari lalu
Opposition to the revised TNI Law in Yogyakarta has brought together students, academics, activists, artists, and women's groups.
2025 Is "Human Rights Catastrophe" for Indonesia, Says Amnesty International
4 hari lalu
Amnesty assesses that human rights in Indonesia experienced the most severe setback in 2025.
Iran: Students Join Economic Protests, President Seeks Talks
4 hari lalu
Students demonstrated at several universities in Iran, semi-official media reported, after demos by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants.
:strip_icc():format(jpeg)/kly-media-production/medias/4548967/original/094336900_1692782124-tanaphong-toochinda-FEhFnQdLYyM-unsplash.jpg)
